Double lift dobbies



April 29, 1969 R. SCHWARZ DOUBLE LIFT DOBBIES Sheet of4 Filed Oct. 9,1967 April 29, 1969 R. SCHWARZ 3,441,060

DOUBLE LIFT DOBBIES Filed Oct. 9, 1967 Sheet 3 of 4 April 29, 1969 R.SCHWARZ DOUBLE LIFT DOBBIES Sheet Filed Oct. 9. 1967 April 29, 1969 R.SCHWARZ.

DOUBLE LIFT DOBBIES Shoot Filiui Qci. 0. 19 7 United States Patent Int.Cl. 1303c N06 US. Cl. 139-68 6 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE In adouble lift dobby, each shaft actuating lever is provided with a balancethe ends of which have hitch hooks which cooperate with holding hooksthat are swingably mounted on fixed axes. Each holding hook is coaxialwith a likewise swingable lever the movement of which is controlled bythe pattern card. By an arrangement of springs and abutments, eachholding hook is swingable to a limited extent relative to the respectivelever so that it can be preselected and will ride over and engage therespective hitch hook when the latter is subsequently moved into anengaging position in the course of the cycle of oscillation of thebalance. The mechanism is adapted to be controlled by cards of variouskinds including wooden or metal cards having pins or paper or cardboardcards having holes.

The present invention relates to a double-lift dobby in which eachactuating lever of a shaft is provided with a balance whose ends havehitch hooks are movable by two bars abutting thereon swinging to and froin opposite directionsand displaced through 180, whereby the hitch hooksmay be held fixed selectively by holding hooks mounted swingably onstationary axles to raise the shaft at the next balance movement.

More particularly, the invention relates to those dobbies in which theholding hooks are controlled by a pattern card. Steel roller, wood,cardboard or paper cards may be used as pattern cards with appropriateactivating mechanisms for the holding hooks.

In dobbies in which each hook for restraining the hitch hook is acomponent part of the actuating lever, the hitch hook must first reachthat location in which it can be gripped by the holding hook before theholding hook starts its engaging tilting movement produced by thepattern card. The time required for this engagement plays an importantpart in the running of the dobby and thus determines the operating speedof the loom.

On the other hand, since the tilting of the holding hook has to takeplace at a certain point of the operational time sequence, the advanceof the pattern card has to occur discontinuously which, at high speeds,leads to severe stresses on the pins and the connections between theunits of the wooden cards.

The object of the invention is to obviate these disadvantages, thusincreasing the operational speed of the dobby and at the same timereducing the stress on the pattern card and the pins.

The double-lift dobby, according to the invention, in which eachactuating lever of a shaft is provided with a balance, the ends of whichhave hitch hooks which cooperate with holding hooks are swingablymounted on a stationary axle and are controlled by a pattern card forraising or lowering the shaft, is characterized in that each holdinghook is swingable and is operatively associated with a likewiseswingable lever which is mounted on a stationary axle and whose movementis controlled by the pattern card, the holding hook being held at agiven angular position relative to the lever by an arrangement ofsprings and stops, and the holding hook being swinglice able to alimited extent relative to the lever, in order that the holding hookarrives in the operational position for engagement with the hitch hook,before the hitch hook of the balance is itself in the engagementposition, and that the holding hook is swung, being pushed by the hitchhook, until the holding engages with the hitch hook under the action ofthe tension spring, the corresponding shaft being raised by the movementof the rod of the second hitch hook.

Due to this arrangement, the time required for engaging the hitch hooksand holding hooks can be greatly reduced without the balance having tobe stopped. By this new way of preselection the operational speed of thedobby can be increased. Moreover, the pattern card can be advancedcontinuously, since tilting of the holding hook can take place beforethe hitch hook reaches its engagement position.

The angular disposition of the hook and lever can be determined by thefeature that a stop provided on the hitch hook abuts the lever under theaction of a tension spring.

constructional examples of the dobby according to the invention areillustrated in the drawing.

FIGURE 1 is a longtudinal section of a shaft actuating device withdirect wooden card control;

FIGURES 2, 3 and 4 show different positions of the holding hook in thesame embodiment as in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 5 is a longitudinal section of a variant of a shaft actuatingdevice with direct wooden card control; and

FIGURE 6 is a longitudinal section of another shaft actuating devicewith paper card control with intenposed needle system.

In all figures the same parts have the same reference numerals, partsoccurring twice in each shaft control or only similar parts having anadditional subscript. Each drawing illustrates the shaft actuatingdevice for a single shaft as is used for dobbies for looms. Such adevice controls the shaft (not shown) of a loom by means of the swinginglever 2 which is supported on the stationary axle 3. The shaft isconnected to the free end of the lever 2 by the chain or cord 1.

Swinging lever 2 and jack-lever 5 are interconnected by the link 4. Forthis purpose the jack-lever 5 is provided with a recess F in which isaccommodated the end of the link 4. A return tension spring 8 islikewise fixed to another recess below the recess F. One end of thejack-lever 5 is mounted on the stationary axle 6 and the other end ispivotally connected centrally at 11 on the balance 9 on the ends ofwhich are pivotally mounted the hitch hooks 10a and 10b, the hookopening facing upwards in the upper hook 10a and the hook opening in thelower hook 10b facing downwards.

All of the balances 9 of the dobby are moved by two continuous bars 12aand 12b, the bar 12a lying on the abutment surface 13a of the hitch hook10a and the bar 12b on the abutment surface 13b of the hitch hook 101;.These bars 12a and 12b carry out a swinging, oppositely directed to andfro movement, each on an arc whose center lies approximately at thepivot point 11. The paths of the bearing positions of the hitch hooksthus produced are indicated as arcs 14a and 14b in FIGURE 1. Thismovement permits engagement of the hitch hook 10a or 10b with one of theholding hooks 18a and 18b respectively, which are swingably mountedrespectively on the stationary axles 15a and 15b and are controlled bythe pattern card 16 provided with pins 27.

Bell crank levers 21a and 21b, which have two arms 17a and 22a or 17band 2212 respectively, cooperate with the holding hook. As shown inFIGURE 1, the opening of the upper hook 18a faces downwards and theopening of the lower hook 18b upwards.

The holding hook 18a is pivotally mounted on the stationary axle' awhile the bell crank lever 21a is itself swingably disposed on the bossa of the hook 18a. The same applies to the hook 18b which is mounted onthe axle 15b and bears the bell crank lever 2112 on its boss 20b. Thetwo arms of each bell crank lever are approximately at right angles toeach other. The arms 17:: and 1717 respectively, are provided withbearing surfaces 19a, 1%, respectively for engagement by the patterncard pins 27.

The angular disposition of the hook 18a or 18b relative to its bellcrank lever 21a or 21b is determined by the lug 23a or 2311 of theholding hook 18a or 18]), said lug acting as a limiting means byabutting the arm 22a or 22b under the action of the tension spring 24aor 24b. The tension spring 24a or 24b is fixed at one end to the hook18a or 18b and at the other end to the end of the rod 25a or 251)rigidly connected to the arm 22a or 22b.

Other springs 26a or 26b which act on the arms 17a and 17b from a fixedmachine part, urge the arms 22a and 22b against the stop 28 so that whena pin 27 is missing from the pattern card 16, the holding hooks 18a and1812 are disengaged from the hitch hooks 10a and 10b and the balance 9can thus swing in known fashion without imparting a movement to thecorresponding shaft.

In contrast, if one of the pins 27 of the pattern card 16 arrives, forexample, on the bearing surface 19a of the arm 17a, then the arm 17aswings in the direction of arrow 29 in FIGURE 2, the arm 22a thusclearing the way for the lug 23a, so that, under the action of thespring 24a, the hook moves in the direction of the arrow 29 and thuslies in the path of the hitch hook 10a of the balance 9. The bar 12acontacting the abutment surface 13a of the hitch hook 10a brings the endsurface B of the hook 10a into contact with the end surface D of thehook 18a, the latter hookas shown in FIGURE 3moving back in thedirection of the arrow 30 against the action of the spring 24a. Thehitch hook 10a starts its forward movement under the pressure of the bar12a, both surfaces B and D remaining in contact until the moment whenthe surface B slides under the surface D, the hook 18a, pulled by thespring 24a, being thus able to assume its previous position. In thisswinging of the holding hook 18a-as shown in FIGURE 3the lug 23a isreleased from the arm 22a. The two hooks 18a and 10a then engage whenthe return movement of the bar 12a begins.

Since the hitch hook 10a is engaged and held back by the hook 18a, itcannot move back any further, so that when the opposite end of thebalance 9 is pushed by the rod 121), the pivot point 11 of this balancemoves on an arc about the axle 6 and entrains the jack lever 5 and theactuating lever 2 through the link 4 which causes raising of thecorresponding shaft.

By virtue of the described arrangement, the holding hooks 18a and 18bcan be moved into their operational positions for engagement before thehitch hooks 10a and 1011 have completed their full swinging movementtowards the holding hooks. As a result of this preselection, the timerequired for engagement is reduced and the operational speed of thedobby and the loom can be increased.

When the pin 27 no longer affects the bearing surface 19a, the holdinghook 18a stays in engagement with the hitch hook 10a until the momentwhen the swinging bar 12a contacts the abutment surface 13a of thecoupled hook 10a and pushes the hitch hook out of the engaged position,i.e., provides the necessary play to allow the holding hook 18a to snapoutwards under the action of the spring 26:: and against the tension ofthe spring 24a and reassume its original position. The balance 9 is thusreleased and returns with the bar 12a to its starting position, the bar12a carryin gout the same movement and the jack lever 5 and also theactuating lever 2 following this movement under the action of the returnsprings of the corresponding shaft.

In the embodiment of FIGURE 5 the bearing surfaces 19c and 19d are notarranged on both sides of the pattern card as in FIGURES 1 to 4 but arearranged at the front thereof. This has the advantage that both bearingsurfaces are controlled by the pattern card at one and the samelocation. Thus the patterns do not have to be placed on the pattern cardwith a spacing of several picks. In addition it can be seen from thedrawing that by altering the opposed position of the bearing surfaces,an alteration of the hook positions was also necessitated, i.e., theholding hooks 18c and 18d are open toward the outer side of the machineand the hitch hooks 10c and 10d toward the inner side.

As in the example first illustrated and described, the actuating lever2, swingable about the axle 3, is connected at one side to the shaft bythe chain 1 and at the other side by the link 4 to the jack-lever 5. Thelatter is mounted on the axle 6 and centrally engages the balance 9. Atboth ends of the balance are disposed the hitch hooks 10c and 10d whichabut the bars and 12d provided they are not held back by the holdinghooks 18c and 18d in the extended position. A pin 27 of the pattern card16 causes a swinging of the bell crank lever 210 or 21d about thestationary axle or 15d when it passes over the surface 190 or 19d. Atension spring 26c or 26d ensures that the surface 19c or 19d remains incontact with the pin as long as there is one in front of it. If there isno pin at the height of the surfaces 190 or 19d on the pattern card, thespring 26c or 26d swings the bell crank lever 210 or 21d until its arm22c or 22d abuts a stop 28. Since no force is exerted on the holdinghook 18c or 18d except by the tension spring 240 or 24d, which isattached to the bell crank lever 21c or 21d as well as to the holdinghook or 18d, it lies in the position illustrated, i.e., it abuts thebell crank lever with its projection 230 or 23d.

The method of operation of the cooperating hooks 18c and 100 or 18d and10a is the same as that illustrated in FIGURES 1 to 4.

The upper holding hook 180 in FIGURE 5 is ready for engagement with theupper hitch hook 10c as in FIG- URE 2 so that when the hitch hook 10c isnext pushed out, the end surfaces B and D meet and the hook 180 movesinwards until engagement.

If, instead of the wooden or metal cards, e.g. roller cards, providedwith pins or pegs, perforated paper or cardboard cards are used whichcannot exert any direct force on a lever, then the device must besomewhat modified constructionally, as is illustrated for example inFIGURE 6. The actual shaft actuating device again consists of chain orrope I, actuating lever 2 which is mounted on the axle 3, link 4, jacklever 5 which is seated on the axle 6, return spring 8, balance 9, bars12c and 12), and also hitch hooks 10c and 10) with outwardly directedhook openings. On the axle 15s or 15 is mounted the hitch hook 18s or18f and on each boss 20c or 20; of this hook, the bell crank lever 21eor 211.

The drawing also shows the stop 28 for the bell crank levers 21c and 21the rods 25c and 25f of the bell crank lever to which are attached thetension springs 24c and 24 between holding hooks 18e or 18; and bellcrank levers 212 or 21f, the lugs 23e and 23 of the holding hooks, asalso the tension springs 262 and 26 of each bell crank lever.

Serving to initiate the control is the pattern card 16' from which thereading needles 31c or 31f scan the pat tern, and, depending on whetherthe reading needle has dropped into an aperture or rests on the card,the tension needles 326 or 32f are entrained in a known manner by themovement of the tension rails 33s or 33] swinging to and fro asindicated by arrow A, thus causing swinging of the bell crank lever 21eor 21]. Operation of the mechanism to effect movement of the shaftcorresponds to the embodiment illustrated in FIGURES 1-4 and thecorresponding description.

It will be understood that features of the several embodiments aremutually interchangeable and that other modifications of the inventionmay be made within the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim and desire to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. In a double lift dobby, the combination of a balance, a shaftactuating lever pivotally connected to a midsection of said balance,hitch hooks mounted on opposite ends of said balance, means forcyclically oscillating said balance, holding hooks swingable about fixedaxes and engageable with said hitch hooks, selector levers swingableabout said fixed axes and associated with said holding hooks, patterncard means cooperating with said selector levers to move same from anon-selected position to a selected position; resilient meansinterconnecting each said selector lever and associated holding hook tourge said holding hook into a normal position relative to said selectorlever and means for limiting the movement of said holding hook relativeto said selector lever and thereby determining their relative positions.

2. Double lift dobby according to claim 1, in which said limiting meanscomprises an abutment on said holding hook engageable with said selectorlever and in which said resilient means comprises a spring which urgessaid abutment resiliently in engagement in such manner as to allow saidholding hook to be movable relative to said selector lever against theresilient action of said spring.

3. Double lift dobby according to claim 2, in which a second spring actson said selector lever to urge it against a fixed stop in non-selectedposition.

4. Double lift dobby according to claim 3, in which said pattern cardmeans has pegs for exerting a lifting force, and in which said selectorlever has a bearing surface engageable by said pegs to swing said leveragainst the force of said second spring to selected position.

5. Double lift dobby according to claim 3, in which said pattern cardmeans comprises a perforated card, and in which card reading meanscomprises an oscillating tension bar, a tension needle connected withsaid selector lever, and a reading needle for sensing perforations insaid card and moving said tension needle in position for engagement bysaid tension bar to move said selector lever to selected position.

6. Double lift dobby according to claim 3, in which said selector leveris a bell crank lever having a first arm on which said pattern cardmeans acts and a second arm engageable by said abutment of said holdinghook under action of said first mentioned spring.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,276,483 10/1966 Golobart 13968XR 3,307,591 3/1967 Staubli 13971 3,381,719 5/1968 Favre 139-68 HENRY S.JAUDON, Primary Examiner.

U.S. Cl. X.R.

